Winterizing the Speed

[mazdaspeedpower]

Whats up guys? Like ti says, I'll be taking my MSP in on Saturday to get my snows put on, and finally getting it flashed(this is not a flash thread...lol). I was wondering, what is the best way to store my racingharts so I don't damage them in anyway, or damage the rubber? This is my first time ever buying snows, and I really don't know how to store my summer tires. Thanks for your help guys. Oh, and anyway I shouldn't store tehm, would also probably be a pretty good idea to post, I'm no the smartest guy, and any way to fuck something up, I usually find out the hard way what it is. I'll also be putting in my winter mats. Last year with my P5, i didn't have any, and wow, I really shouldv'e bought them. The amount of salt stained into the fabric wasn't even funny. One last question, in the winter, how long should I warm the car up for??? I know that I can't drive without warming it up, or atleast not without f**king shit up. I'm also aware I should make sure to warm up the trunk a bit, so I don't destroy my sub. Thanks for answering all my questions. Hope you all save winter driving!

[Dexter]

yeah, i should have taken the mazdaspeed mats out last winter. they are pretty fucked now. oh well.

[mazdaspeedpower]

Yeah. You don't really think the salt and shit will be that bad, but it just slowly builds up. It's really unbelievable how bad it gets. I think they should throw down sabd instead of salt..better for the environment, and more importantly our cars.

[BlkZoomZoom]

Store the rims/tires in a place where it has the most stable temp. whether it is hot or cold, Also where it is away from sun/ wetness/ or extreme dryness.......
I always let my car "warm-up" unti it has a stable idle at around 1200rpm before I start moving.

[mazdaspeedpower]

Do you think if it's a little damp it will be ok. Cause they'll probably be in my basement. It's not like super wet, just a little damp, humid if you will. Yeah, so about 5-10mins would be ok, longer if excesively cold, which is pretty often around January. It's the windchill that's killer.

[Dexter]

im probably gonna store my rims in my room somewhere.

[Limited Edition]

mazdaspeedpower- I'm from Toronto, Ontario, so i should be able to let you know how exactly you shoudl do everything. We suffer the same cold climate in the winter and heavy snow fall so, tell me what you think of my comments.

I've had my car since December '02, so i've already went through one winter and now, i'm preparing for my second winter.

Racing Hart storage - Since you will be getting new snow tires, i assume that the store with put your rims and tires back in the car, so you can take them home to store. Once, you bring them home, clean them inside and out. Don't wait and procrasinate, because once you put them away dirty, it's likely you won't want to take them out to clean them again. They are heavy to carry around and it will get colder.

Clean them, as you would wash the car. A mitt, or spong will do fine with soap. Prepare to use a 'one time' use cloth to dry as you will wipe off dirt that you missed washing. The inside spokes and wheel will be really dirty, from the brake dust build up. Clean them nicely.

If you wish, wipe on some tire gel or spray on some tire foam to let it shine and wipe off excess gel/foam on the rim. Let it shine and store them in a tire plastic bag (Tire plastic bag is big enough to bag in, should be given by store wheny ou purchase snow tires)

Store the Racingharts in a dry place. Temperature does not matter. Stack them up all together if you wish to save space. The air in the tires, you can leave them. Just check them in the spring time before you mount them as they will decrease in presure slightly.


Warm engine/motor in cold - You don't need to warm your car up 'til the revs drop to a certain rpm. I've read in articles many times, that it's just a waste of gas and you just put out exhuast fumes into the atmosphere.

No matter if you park your car outdoors overnight in -15 degree temperatures or in the garage at about 5 degrees, all you really need is to warm the car for no more then 3 mins maximum. Start driving slowy until you see the engine therometer rise, and until full operating temperature, boost in the snow if you like!

:)

[Newf]

what he said :)

[girth]

Storing them in your basement should be fine. Northern winters are always plenty dry that you do not need to worry. I'll be putting mine in the basement also.

[oliver2000]

better yet.....buy a beater and store the car....Buy a quality car cover, a solar battery maintainer, change the oil, drop the tire pressure a bit, put some material in the exhaust pipe, put some material in the air intake as well ( keeps moisture and rodents out ), turn the car over and let it warm up once a month or so and move it a few inches to prevent flat spots on the tires ( I put a chalk line on the tires )

Do not forget to wash and wax the car before you cover it. !

these people are great and the cover is real nice

http://216.60.144.111/ecatcust/review.asp?vid=238465358&x=1

You can buy solar charger/ maintaner for 30 bucks at Cdn tire, pep boys etc, keeps the battery charged and save the hassle of removing.

This will be the third winter with the MP3 stored this way and the MP3 looks like it just rolled off the assembly line, will be the first for the MSP.

Total cost

91 hyundia excel 100,000 KM's $ 1000.00
Tags $ 90
Cover $ 150
Insurance $ 65 /month when on the road $ 25 when not


Insurance savings on the MP3 $ 80 per month when stored ( just remove liability not theft etc ) for 5 months = $ 400

Net works out pretty close to the cost of a decent set of snows and save the baby for better weather.

[Logan]

I beg to differ, temperature DOES matter.
As Limited said, clean the wheels, then take about HALF of the air pressure out (down to approx. 15 psi) and store them in a place that will not go below 0 deg C. Don't stack them on top of each other, put them side by side, with the tread DOWN. Tires are not designed to support weight on their sides, they are designed to support it on the tread.
Re: warming up the car, I was advised from my dealer to just get in and drive, as it will heat the engine in a more even way than letting it idle till the water temp comes up.

[Black Majik MSP]

You can get the genuine Mazda car cover for the P5 from Mazdaformance:

http://www.mazdaformance.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=0000-8J-J01&Category_Code=750

I can personally guarantee that it WILL fit your MSP (covers everything but the rear lip & the bottom 1/2 of the rear wheels). It's a steal too...almost 1/2 of what I paid for mine with the cable lock. :(

[Swerny]

no need to "warm up the car" for more than a minute. Just keep the revs down, shift early, and the car will warm up faster under some load than it will at idle.
Logan made a good point about storing the tires. I too have heard that stacking them isn't the best thing, but i do it to save space.

[ping]

Logan - agreed, good point, but short-term it shouldn't matter much. The snows for our minivan are stacked every winter with no problems, but they're only stacked ~7-8 months and only last 3 seasons each set. I put a piece of cardboard between 'em & don't bag 'em - can trap moisture. MSP wheels fit on the header over the garage door, side by side on the treads, wheel face to the wall, with rope to keep 'em in place. They're off the floor, out of the way, out of the light. I'll take a pic, it's kinda cool.

Remember - tires/wheels are designed to live outdoors supporting a car, rolling on harsh pavement for their entire useful life - they're durable. A basement, even without a dehumidifiier, is fine. Longer term the lack of "exercise" can cause it to "dry out" and crack; the waxes in the rubber aren't physically moved around to keep it pliable. A darker place is better (less UV light degradation).

What they said about starting - I only warm mine ~30 seconds then crive slowly until the temp needle moves. NO BOOST until that temp needle has been in the middle of the gauge for a few miles (coolant temp rises faster than oil temp, I've checked on previous cars with both gauges).

If you want to get REALLY anal, remove and lube the swaybars with silicone grease, and use anti-seize between the hubs and wheels to prevent their corroding together. Weathertech mats are great, but the $20-25 mats from WallyMart aren't that bad and can be cut to fit. I always do something (clip or hole over post) to keep 'em from sliding underfoot.

Good luck!

[mazdaspeedpower]

Yeah. I had the mazda protege winter mats given to me for my birthday, so the mats I'm not worried about. My Racing harts after hearing all of this will be in my basement on their tread, on top of a rug. I will wash them really well, and make sure to move them a little bit so they don't sit on the same spot all winter. My basement is very dark, no windows at all. The only time the light is on is when someones doing laundry, or getting something outta tha fridge. In the ending months of winter, when the snow melts during the day, and freezes at night, I might move them out of the basement, as it gets very damp down there, and on occasion will flood if their is tons of runoff. So, i only have to let the car run a short time then??? I will be careful not to turn up the music till the cabin is warm then, cause I've heard of Subs cracking in extreme cold(i'll leave a seat down to let the air circulate. I will drive carefully in the winter, but I'll be screwing around a bit in EMPTY parking lots, doing a little snow rally turns, just for shits and giggles. Thanks for all of the help and input.

[mazdaspeedpower]

and yet another winter arrives, the car will be prepped again. This time with more than just safety in mind....don't ya love how performance always seems to come when you have to be careful using it? Yeah....car goes faster just as it's gonna start icing and getting slick...better call in sick for the rest of september and october so I can drive the piss out of her...but I have to wait till her tranny is fixed, and then start installing some stuff.

[Crock]

Yey, winter.

[Brian MP5T]

Winter..

http://www.msprotege.com/members/Brian%20MP5T/Rebuild%201.jpghttp://www.msprotege.com/members/Brian%20MP5T/Rebuild%202.jpg

[mazdaspeedpower]

thanks for the visual brian :p